The United States spends more on programs for the elderly than it does on programs that enhance child development and improve child welfare. Why has public policy neglected the development phase of young Americans' lives not only in substantive dollars spent, but also in program design and implementation? Noted child care and education policy expert William Gormley highlights the portrayal of children's issues in both the mass media and in public policymaking to explain why children have gotten short shrift. A key explanation is the limited mass media coverage of strong arguments in support of children's programs.

After documenting changes in rhetoric on children and public policy over time and variations across policy domains and government venues, Gormley demonstrates that some "issue frames" are more effective than others in persuading voters. In two randomized experiments, he finds that "economic" frames are more effective than "moralistic" frames in generating public support for children's programs. Independent voters are especially responsive to economic frames. In several illuminating case studies, in Connecticut, Utah, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, he finds that strong rhetoric makes a difference but that it is sometimes eclipsed by even stronger political and economic constraints.

"Voices for Children" offers a fresh perspective on raging debates over child health, child poverty, child welfare, and education programs at the federal and state levels. It finds some hopeful examples that could transform how we think about children's issues and the kinds of public policies we adopt.

This study of children's participation in decisions about their care draws on recent work in sociology and anthropology, psychology and legal philosophy in order to understand this challenging area of social life. It also reports on original and groundbreaking research into children's views of decision-making processes. The book has important theoretical implications and important lessons for social welfare policy and practice. It will be of interest to those involved in childhood studies or in qualitative research methods, as well as in social welfare provision.

From the 1980s through the 1990s, children in many areas of the world benefited from new opportunities to attend school, but they also faced new demands to support their families because of continuing and, for many, worsening poverty. "Children's Work, Schooling, And Welfare In Latin America" is a comparative study of children, ages 12-17, in three different Latin American societies. Using nationally-representative household surveys from Chile, Peru, and Mexico, and repeatedly over different survey years, David Post documents tendencies for children to become economically active, to remain in school, or to do both. The survey data analyzed illustrates the roles of family and regional poverty, and parental resources, in determining what children did with their time in each country. However, rather than to treat children's activities merely as demographic phenomena, or in isolation of the policy environment, Post also scrutinizes the international differences in education policies, labor law, welfare spending, and mobilization for children's rights. "Children's Work" shows that child labor will not vanish of its own accord, nor follow a uniform path even within a common geographic region. Accordingly, there is a role for welfare policy and for popular mobilization. Post indicates that, even when children attend school, as in Peru or Mexico, many students will continue to work to support the family. If the consequence of their work is to impede their educational success, then schools will need to attend to a new dimension of inequality: that between part-time and full-time students.

Discussion of convergence in the EU in recent years has centred on economic indicators related to monetary union and the single European currency, but it is the convergence of living standards that is the ultimate goal of European integration. This book analyses the living standards of the nearly 80 million children in the EU, who represent over a fifth of the Union's total population. The well-being of Europe's children is important now - and the nature of their progress to adulthood will have a major impact on the shape of Europe's future. By analysing the trends of child well-being in Europe over the last two decades, this book asks: Is the well-being of children in the EU becoming more similar across member states? Or Are countries diverging while their economies converge? These issues are addressed with a wealth of data on different dimensions of the changing welfare of Europe's children - evidence that has not previously been drawn together in a single source. The authors consider in turn the material well-being of children, their health and education, teenage fertility, and young people's own views of their lives. There is careful treatment of conceptual and measurement issues and data quality and comparability, together with reference to a large literature across the different relevant disciplines. This book aims to raise the profile of children in the debate on Europe's future, and in doing so to contribute to the growing discussion of economic and social cohesion in the EU. The analysis is rigorous but it avoids disciplinary jargon and will appeal to a pan-European audience. It is important reading for academics across the social sciences interested in the well-being of children and youth, NGOs working on behalf of the young, and local and national government policy advisers concerned with the issues in a domestic or European context.

The 1990s has witnessed a resurgence of interest and concern in the issue of domestic violence. While women are predominantly targets of this violence, there is now a recognition that children are also significantly affected by violence towards their mothers. This report explores the problems and opportunities presented for child protection workers responding to child abuse that occurred in the context of violence towards the child(ren)'s mother. This particular aspect of domestic violence intervention is frequently overlooked as issues such as policing, child contact, interagency working and offender programmes have gained precedence in the development of intervention strategies. The responses of social services departments to child abuse arising in the context of domestic violence remain some of the most contentious and controversial in this area. This report: gives a detailed account of social work practice in the area of domestic violence, using many case examples which illustrate the barriers to effective intervention; looks in particular at the needs of Asian families in the context of domestic violence and child abuse; recognises the difficulties of developing sensitive child welfare practice in an area where there has been a traditional separation of services for women and services for children; provides good practice examples for overcoming the traditional difficulties in this area. This report is important reading for practitioners, policy makers and managers in social services, and their equivalents in a range of other agencies involved in child protection. It is also valuable reading for social work academics and students interested in the area of domestic violence.

Based on a significant body of evidence regarding young children's unique affective, physical, and cognitive development, The Tender Years illuminates the interrelationship of child welfare practice, child development outcomes, and public policy. The authors offer a fundamental framework for decision-making in child welfare and recommend specific changes in policy and practice aimed at moving the system toward greater developmental sensitivity.

This book captures information about early childhood education and care (ECEC) policies and practices in different countries and aims to question the degree to which these countries have managed to meet the needs of children, families, and the ECEC workforce. The book illustrates how different countries have adapted different strategies focusing on policy when it comes to quality ECEC. The goal of the book is twofold. First and foremost, it aims to present key findings and challenges for improving ECEC as a whole. Second, it aims to highlight problems and concerns which the field of ECEC faces, with respect to delivering high-quality care and education to all children. As neither "ECEC" nor "quality" are universal concepts - but are shaped by social-cultural values, as well as national, economic, and political contexts in which ECEC services are provided - this cross-country volume is extremely relevant for fully understanding issues in the field of ECEC. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

Kinship Foster Care: Policy, Practice, and Research assembles the thinking and research of experts from several professional fields concerning what has become the fastest growing type of substitute care for children by the state. The editors have contributed the initial and concluding chapters of the book, and the lead chapter in each of its three sections.

"Your child can achieve great things." A few years ago, pregnant women in four corners of the world heard those words and hoped they could be true. Among them were Esther Okwir in rural Uganda, where the infant mortality rate is among the highest in the world; Jessica Saldana, a high school student in a violence-scarred Chicago neighborhood; Shyamkali, the mother of four girls in a low-caste village in India; and Maria Estella, in Guatemala's western highlands, where most people are riddled with parasites and moms can rarely afford the fresh vegetables they farm. Greatness? It was an audacious thought, given their circumstances. But they had new cause to be hopeful: they were participating in an unprecedented international initiative designed to transform their lives, the lives of their children, and ultimately the world. The 1,000 Days movement, a response to recent, devastating food crises and new research on the economic and social costs of childhood hunger and stunting, is focused on providing proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of children's lives, beginning with their mother's pregnancy. Proper nutrition during these days can profoundly influence an individual's ability to grow, learn, and work-and determine a society's long-term health and prosperity. In this inspiring, sometimes heartbreaking book, Roger Thurow takes us into the lives of families on the forefront of the movement to illuminate the science, economics, and politics of malnutrition, charting the exciting progress of this global effort and the formidable challenges it still faces: economic injustice, disease, lack of education and sanitation, misogyny, and corruption.

"Adoption is the right option for many more types of parents and children than we imagined a few decades ago. However, it is not the right choice for everyone. Is Adoption for You? is a guide to thinking through the issues."—from the Foreword by Jerri Ann Jenista, M.D.

Would adopting a child be a good choice for you? Would you want to adopt an infant or an older child? What about a child from another country? A child of another race? Would you be willing to adopt a child with medical problems? Could you agree to involvement and openness with the birthmother? Would you be better off working with an agency or an attorney? Do you have to be married? How much does it really cost?

Before you decide, make sure you have all the facts. In this warm, straightforward new book, adoption expert—and adoptive parent—Christine Adamec gives you the information you need to make this important decision. From financial considerations to the myriad emotional issues involved, there are numerous questions to explore. Adamec's expert guidance, drawn from personal stories, clinical studies, and academic research, helps you find the answers that are right for you.

This book celebrates good practice in the area of early years and special needs by bringing together authors who are either practitioners or researchers, from a range of different and diverse early years settings including nurseries and units providing special provision. They describe their work with young children who have different and distinctive special needs and disabilities.

The provision of health care services for children is central to improving the nation's health and remains a key feature of every government's policy. This concept has been recognised in the United Kingdom since nineteenth century visionaries prompted increasing interest in the welfare of the country's school children. Successive generations have built upon these foundations and have been diligent in promoting effective service development. It is right that we follow their example, for the young have only one chance of a healthy upbringing. They are totally dependent on others to provide the right services, which are sensitive enough to address individual needs, yet sufficiently comprehensive to enable as many children as possible to reach adulthood with their potential uncom promised by illness. Our objective must be to enable today's children to enjoy a healthy childhood and to equip them to maximise the benefits of a healthy lifestyle in the years to come. We are making an essential investment in the future and must appreciate the challenges which come with that commitment. We need a multi-professional approach, positive management skills and the adoption of good management practice. I therefore welcome this book on managing child health services and commend the initiative of its editors in bringing together such an impressive team of contributors from different disciplines."

The nation is abuzz with consideration of prekindergarten programs for all children. To better understand the issues involved, funding and staffing considerations as well as policy option, this book is a must read. In this timely book, Matia Finn-Stevenson and Edward Zigler argue that the federal government alone cannot address the need for child care and family support services that, like education, should be addressed locally. The authors use their Schools of the 21st Century (21C) program as an example of how schools can provide child care, outreach services, home visitations, and health and nutrition services--in addition to reading, writing, and arithmetic.Conceptualized in 1987 in response to the child care crisis in this country, 21C has been implemented in over 600 schools in seventeen states. However, schools' involvement with increasingly younger children is not without controversy. The authors also address questions regarding evaluation and effective implementation and scale-up strategies, and consider what changes in teacher training programs should occur to prepare teachers for working in schools of the twenty-first century; what provisions should be made to accommodate for the need to staff schools with personnel trained in early child development; and what changes need to be made in the financial structures of schools to accommodate child care and support services.Whereas Part Two of the book discusses the authors' Schools of the 21st Century program in considerable detail, Parts One and Three address a broader range of issues concerning the effects that prekindergarten education has on later school success and the various policy and conceptual approaches that have been tried, both nationally and internationally. Finn-Stevenson and Zigler also critically review the research on the effects of child care on children and other school reform initiatives that have been implemented in schools."Schools of the 21st Century" is an engaging discussion about the new roles schools are taking and how they are expanding their traditional mission.

Collaborative Practice with Vulnerable Children and Their Families focuses on the knowledge and skills needed by professionals who work across disciplines to meet the needs of parents and children experiencing complex difficulties. It establishes the importance of both interprofessional and interagency collaboration. After detailing the characteristics of parents and children who may be in need of specialized services, the authors describe different approaches to service delivery in theory and practice, provide case examples and exercises, and address the developments in interprofessional education for those currently working in the field. They present evidence supporting collaborative practice as a means of achieving better outcomes for vulnerable children and their families, and explore the difficulties in working successfully across agencies and disciplines. A provocative examination focused on the wellbeing of families in crisis and the care they receive, this book: Introduces terms that are used in collaborative practice Details the legal mandate for working with families experiencing complex problems Provides legal definitions of 'children in need' and with a right to receive "targeted" services Outlines the circumstances that require court action (family law and criminal law) to protect children from "significant harm" Collaborative Practice with Vulnerable Children and Their Families examines the values and ethical standards shared by all professionals who work together to help at-risk children and their families, and serves as a definitive guide to professionals in social work, nursing, general practice, pediatrics and related professions. A volume in the series CAIPE Collaborative Practice Series Series edited by Hugh Barr and Marion Helme

The authors of this volume provide discussion on vital issues related to the rights of children in the United States, including: the historical and contextual perspective on the rights of children; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; the differing views on children's rights and competencies; and the rights of children within the family, the social service system, the health care system, the educational system, the juvenile justice system and in employment.

Helpful information for all family child care providers including: Tips and strategies to help develop and manage a well-organized business Ways to maximize dual-use spaces and enhance learning materials and routines Guidelines and tips to help balance home and professional needs Creative ideas to boost children's learning Practical information to help you build positive and meaningful relationships with families Expand your knowledge and skills to meet the needs of children and their families.

Raymond is a talented young artist who carries his work from homeless shelter to homeless shelter in a tattered bag but has never even been inside a museum. He is emblematic of the children that the renowned pediatrician and children's advocate Irwin Redlener has met over the course of his long and colorful career. Inadequate education, barriers to health care, and crushing poverty make it overwhelmingly difficult for many children to realize their dreams. In this memoir, Redlener draws on poignant personal experiences to investigate the failures of our educational and health systems-and how we must drastically change our approach to the needs of children if the next generation of Americans is to fulfill its potential. Redlener's winding career-from his work as a pediatrician in the Arkansas delta, to treating child abuse in a Miami hospital, to helping children in the aftermath of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, to cofounding the Children's Health Fund with the musician Paul Simon-is his springboard for discussing larger policy issues that hinder us from effectively eradicating childhood poverty or overcoming barriers to accessible health care. As a young doctor, Redlener encountered firsthand the surprising trials of extreme poverty and the resilient kids and parents who struggle to overcome it. In the back of his mobile health clinic, Redlener meets children who are largely invisible to the system-homeless, in extended foster care, or rarely able to see a doctor-yet who nonetheless dream of becoming paleontologists, artists, and marine biologists. The problems these children face go far beyond barriers to health care. Persistent deprivation and the avoidable problems that accompany poverty ensnare millions of children, with rippling effects that harm the health, prosperity, and creativity of the adults they become. Redlener's recommendations for policy makers and concerned citizens show a way forward if we can come together to advocate for children.

The idea that Britain, the US and other western societies are witnessing the rise of an underclass of people at the bottom of the social heap, structurally and culturally distinct from traditional patterns of "decent" working-class life, has become increasingly popular in the 1990s. Anti-work, anti-social, and welfare dependent cultures are said to typify this new "dangerous class" and "dangerous youth" are taken as the prime subjects of underclass theories. Debates about the family and single-parenthood, about crime and about unemployment and welfare reforms have all become embroiled in underclass theories which, whilst highly controversial, have had remarkable influence on the politics and policies of governments in Britain and the US. This text addresses the underclass idea in relation to contemporary youth. It focuses upon unemployment, training, the labour market, crime, homelessness, and parenting. It should be of interest to students of social policy, sociology and criminology.

Unitas is an outreach therapeutic program serving Hispanic and African American children in the South Bronx. It is a complex institutional structure based upon philosophical, psychological, and sociological views of how interpersonal relations can be shaped in the interest of a child's healthy social and emotional life. To acheive what Unitas calls the healing of the child's "brokeness," the program has created a network of symbolic families composed of children and teenagers living in the same neighborhoods. The teenagers play the roles of symbolic and surrogate parents and become the caretakers and, indeed, therapists of the younger children. The use of these fictive nuclear and extended families provides institutional meaning to the Unitas pattern of mutual help. This volume is a look inside the program by its principal participant, Dr. Edward Eismann. Eismann, founder and director of Unitas, provides the reader with a rich, first-hand account of how he went about mobilizing the youth who would later become the core of his successful program. He also offers some of the ideas in the social sciences and therepeutic literature which influenced the shaping of Unitas. Unitas also includes a series of training modules for persons interested in replicating this type of social program.

This volume demonstrates the power of art therapy as a tool for intervening with children from violent homes. Emphasis is given to the short-term setting where time is at a premium and circumstances are unpredictable - because within this setting, mental health practitioners often experience a sense of helplessness in their work with the youngest victims of abusive families.; In this new edition, the author describes the intervention process from intake to termination, highlighting the complex issues involved at various levels of evaluation and interpretation. The text is augmented with 95 children's drawings, which serve to fill the gap between theory and reality.; Specific topics include: inherent frustrations for therapists working in battered women's shelters; what to include in art evaluation; evaluating child abuse and neglect; group art intervention in shelters; and art expression as assessment and therapy with sexually abused children.

The poverty rate for children in the United States exceeds that of all other Western, industrialized nations except Australia. Moreover, poverty among children has increased substantially since 1970, affecting more than one-fifth of U.S. children. These persistent high rates require new ideas in both research and public policy. This volume presents such ideas. Four arenas of possible change are addressed: mothers' employment, child care, fathers' involvement, and access to health care. These four types of change have each been brought under the umbrella of the Family Support Act of 1988, after several years of debate over welfare reform. The goal of this landmark legislation is to enable poor families to escape poverty by requiring education, employment training opportunities for mothers, and improving child support by noncustodial fathers. Escape from Poverty is designed to examine the implications of these new policy-driven changes for children. The editors have developed an interdisciplinary perspective, involving demographers, developmental psychologists, economists, health experts, historians, and sociologists - a framework essential for addressing the complexities inherent in the links between the lives of poor adults and children in our society. This book will appeal to both researchers and policy makers.

Child care law and policy issues generate very strong emotions and some crucial questions concerning the role of the state. For instance, under what circumstances should the state be able to intervene and use the force of the law to protect children? Do children have similar rights to adults? Such questions are matters of controversial debate and, in the light of well publicised child abuse cases, official inquiries and a government review led to the passing of the Children Act in 1989. Perspectives in Child Care Policy presents four different value perspectives on child care policy - laissez-faire; state paternalism; defence of the birth family and children's rights. These perspectives differ in their underlying values, concepts and assumptions concerning children, families, the rights and powers of parents and the role of the state.

Krish Kandiah wants us all to take seriously Jesus's call to 'suffer the little children' by engaging with the needs of the many thousands of children up and down the country who are in care and whom the church could and should be helping. Krish and his wife Miriam have adopted and fostered children themselves and their experience - and that of the many others in this book - is very different from the popular myth which suggests social services seek to prevent Christians from getting involved. Krish argues that whatever the state's stance may be, it is a part of our calling as God's church to get involved where it's hardest, and to help these children out of the tough realities they find themselves in. Filled with stories from people who have adopted or were adopted themselves, alongside practical advice on how it all works and the challenges that will come, this book makes a compelling case that the church can and must make a difference in these children's lives, and asks us all to consider our response.

Child safety is everybody's concern, but much professional activity is misinformed or based on a misrepresentation of the facts, and preventative action is rarely adequately evaluated. Written and edited by leading researchers with an active role in social policy, this new book challenges both our understanding of the problem of child safety and points to the impotence of "educational" appraoches based on "knowledge enhancement". The strong message is that improving children's knowledge has little or no effect on their behaviour. From the physical abuse of young children to drug abuse in adolescence, this book presents a radical new perspective on a key social issue.

Young children living with uncertainty and insecurity may have a difficult time focusing on learning. Their teachers and caregivers may need to be the anchor needed to make sense of their lives after trauma. This resource provides 85 activities, each grounded in brain research, to help children process and heal from a wide range of stressful events.